


Better Than a Movie

by angelsfalling16



Series: Christmas Ficlets [1]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Book 2: Wayward Son, SnowBaz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27829324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelsfalling16/pseuds/angelsfalling16
Summary: Prompt: “I thought we weren’t doing presents.”Simon and Baz are enjoying a quiet evening on Christmas Eve when Baz surprises Simon with a small gift.
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: Christmas Ficlets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2036812
Comments: 7
Kudos: 90





	Better Than a Movie

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of a series of Christmas fics I will be posting and writing leading up to Christmas. I wanted to start out with something soft and sweet, and I hope you all like it! :)

**Simon**

Baz and I are snuggled up together on the couch, steaming cups of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows floating in them sitting on the coffee table and a sappy, romantic Hallmark movie playing on the television in front of us. It feels like the best way to spend the evening of Christmas Eve.

It’s actually been a pretty nice day. Penny, Shep, and Agatha came over earlier for a sort of potluck Christmas dinner and present exchange. Baz and I decided we wanted to be alone on Christmas Day, but we still wanted to celebrate together with everyone, and it was a nice compromise. Now that everyone is else is gone, the two of us are relaxing and simply enjoying each other’s company.

I’ve found that it’s nice just being around him sometimes. There’s no need for anything more than that, no need to talk or do something more or go out on a big, extravagant date. (Although, I’ve come to realize that talking is important, even when you don’t want to. Especially when you don’t want to actually.) Just being here in his arms is enough a lot of the time, and it’s made even more special being surrounded by the Christmas decorations we put up together.

In the corner of the room is a decent sized, rainbow colored Christmas tree that is lit up with slowly flashing lights and decorated with shiny tinsel and old, mismatched ornaments that Baz inherited from his mom. I remember the first time he pulled out the box of carefully wrapped ornaments.

It was our first Christmas together after everything that happened at Watford. I was still living with Penny and working on getting back on the right track with school and therapy. With that plus the reminder of everything that I lost the year before, I wasn’t really in the mood to celebrate anything, and I found myself sitting on that couch again, the same place I sat in for days before Penny, Baz, and I went on that road trip across America.

I kept staring at nothing and was unable to move for a long time, weighted down by the pain and memories. Everything just hurt too much, and I thought for a moment that I might stay there forever.

Then Baz walked through the door, a wimpy tree, barely two feet tall, in one arm and a box in the other. He didn’t say a word as he placed the tree in front of me before taking a seat next to me with the box in his lap.

We sat side by side like that for a long time, not saying anything. I’m not sure how long exactly, could have been hours but was probably only minutes, until finally, I cracked, my curiosity winning out over my desire to be left alone.

“What’s with the box?” I asked.

Baz gave me a long, pensive look before pulling open the flaps. All I could see at first was newspaper and bubble wrap, no idea what lay within, until Baz pulled one out, taking care as he gingerly unwrapped it, revealing a gold orb that reflected the light, with a place for a hook at the top of it.

He still didn’t say anything, simply held it up and let the light bounce off of it, making it look almost like it glowed from within.

“Ornaments?” I asked. “Look, I really don’t feel like decorating anything right now.”

“They belonged to my mother,” he said quietly, pulling out another one to unwrap.

I looked at him quickly then, attempting to keep my expression emotionless so as not to scare him off this topic. He rarely talks about his mother, and I always do my best to listen when he does. I waited patiently for him to say more, letting him take his time.

“Every year on December first, she would set up a small tree in her office, and we would decorate it together. These were the ornaments she used. My aunt gave them to me one year. Knew I would want them.” His voice was thick with emotion as he finished speaking, and I searched for the right thing to say.

“They’re beautiful,” I said finally, and Baz simply nodded. “What about the tree?” I continued carefully. “Was it hers, too?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I found it in a closet at my aunt’s flat.”

“It looks a little…”

“Shitty?” He offered, the corner of his mouth turning up just slightly.

“I was going to say old. Like it’s seen a lot of Christmases.”

“Or maybe like she pulled it out of a dumpster.”

“Did she?”

He shrugged, something he picked up from me and only does when we’re talking about something he has trouble with. “Not sure. Maybe. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

I laughed lightly, and I realized that it was the first time I had laughed in almost a week. It felt surprisingly good.

We decorated the tree together after that, and as if someone had cast a spell, I started to feel a little bit better. The tree seemed like such a small thing, but it gave me hope. It made me feel like maybe even in all of this darkness, there could be a little bit of light.

Now, those same ornaments hang on a different tree that gives me even more hope, and it leaves a smile on my face as I lean in closer to Baz’s side.

He turns his head and presses a kiss to my temple, and I lean more into his side.

“Did you know,” he murmurs into my hair, “that five years ago, we shared our first kiss?”

“A lot of things happened five years ago,” I say, a little tersely. A lot of things I’ve already been thinking about recently. Why is he bringing it up right now?

He reaches for the remote and mutes the television before shifting us sound so that we’re now facing each other.

“What—?” I begin but falter as he pulls out a small, neatly wrapped box from somewhere behind him. “I-I thought we weren’t doing presents.”

“I know. We were worried about saving money for a house, but technically, I didn’t spend any money on this. My aunt gave it to me.”

“And you’re regifting it to me?” I ask slowly, a little confused.

“She wanted me to give it to you when I thought the time was right. I’ve been hanging onto it for over a year.”

“I—. Why now?”

“Just open it,” he says, holding the present out to me.

I frown but take it from him, hesitating a moment before carefully pulling the shiny gold bow off the top and setting it aside. I slide my finger under the wrapping paper, pulling it up and revealing a small, nondescript box beneath. I pull the rest of the paper off before opening it to reveal the gift that sits inside, gasping when I see it.

“Baz…” I breathe.

I peer up at him, and my breath catches at the look on his face. It’s so open and full of love, and it makes it extremely clear what the ring box I just unwrapped is for.

“Baz,” I say again, and he smiles at me.

“I love you, Simon. I love you so much that there was a point when I thought it might actually kill me. But then, somehow, you found a way to love me back, and I realized that loving you wasn’t going to kill me. It made me feel like I had never felt before, like I was full of a hope and a love that I never thought I would have.” He pauses, and there are tears in his eyes as he reaches into the box I’m still holding and pulls out the black ring box. “Simon, I want to spend the rest of my life loving you.” He pops open the box. “Will you marry me?”

“Y-yes,” I say, my voice shaky as I push past my tears. “Of course, I will. I love you, Baz.”

I surge forward to kiss him, and our lips meet at the same moment the couple in the movie kiss.

For a moment, this feels like something out of a movie. But this is nothing like what you would see in one.

This is real. Baz and I love each other and just agreed to spend the rest of our lives together to continue doing that.

This is so much better than a movie.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! <3
> 
> I would love to hear what you think, either in the comments, or you can come find me on Tumblr (@angelsfalling16)


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